Heavy fuel vaporizer



Jan. 21,1936; E, A,JOHNSTON EITAVL 2,028,333

HEAVY FUEL VAPORIZER Filed. 001-.. 16, 1833 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 "J n. 21, 193 A" ,OHNSTQN 2,028,333

HEAVY FUEL VVAVPORLZEYR I Filed 0 5.46; 1933 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 21, 19.36

NITEDTST T TENT " Newiersey 1 Application otttber 1e, ioeetseria i naee eaze o claims. o est-12 invention relates to a charge-forming device for internal combustion engines .More'speciilcally, it relates to. an improved vaporizer and. carburetor for handling fuel voils not adaptable v for use in engines employing conventional carburetorst In \theoperation of internal-combustion en gines, it is desirable to. useJthe lowest grade fuel which can be satisfactorily handled by. the charge icrming system of the engine. Ordinarflyigasoline or kerosene is used, these fuels beingof 5111-.

flcient volatility for .carburetion directly with air,

providing 'in'thecase of kerosene that hot-spot-- ting or, indirect heatis employed. Y However,. the

in which a plunger 25 carried by thestem re- 15' fciprocates. As illustrated; the air-inlet IB,-.the' '1 passages, l'landiB, the riser li andthedash- 5 attempted use. ofany petroleum product appreoiably less in volatility than kerosene has re-' sulted in many diniculties. The principal. dif-.

iloultyis thecracking of the fuel oil with the formaticnoi sludge freecarbon, coke, and other similarproducts. Anotherdifllculty is encountered in metering the fuel and in formingasuhe stantially; homogenous; mixture at various load conditions Olthe engine and undervarying ternperature conditions; 1

The principal object of the present'invention is to provide animprovedfuelvaporizerand car buretor. operable to handle low rade iuel -withl;

' a minimum of .the didlculties above pointed out;

busticnand veporisstiont The above objects andothers, which will to apparent frcnithe detsileddescription to icilcw, are accomplished by a devioe such as illustrated in thedrawinss. in whichip- Figure l is e sldeolv vation of ttttnttitalltt maniiolds with a portion at the chemo-forming dsvicehi'oken sway iii-section: and.;. e a Figure] is stop plsn vlsw oi. the exhaust manitold and the vaporisingosstlng formed integral.

with it. the dottedlines showing the inlet to the vsporising chamber. I

m the drawings. t pitches: il; the cylinder. block} iii of an, eneine and the cylinder headv ll are shown. Said head ls provided with four exhsust ports, end two inlet ports. II. An inlet manifold It communicates with the ports II, and

' is provided with a centrally located inlet riser II.

An airiintake conduit l6 communicates through flattened overlapping passages. l1 :and It with; 1

the inlet end of the riser l5; A venturi I9 is po-f sitioned in the riser near the lower end, and-a 'throttle valve 20 ismounted therein abovethe. 5' -venturi.

In the wall dividing the passages "and "g an opening-is formed in which a poppet valve II is tering of the valve2l with pulsating air flow.-' a dash-pot .24 is formed, around ,theivalve stem pot are formed in an integral casting. A cover I is provided for the valve. stem andispring, and: means are provided for removing; the "velvet: 1

As a'substitutepart for the regular exhaust .t

manifold, a special manifold casting,aincorporating integral therewith several. elements of the presentinvention, is provided for mountingon the engine. From the; two endexhaust. ports I2, 25 conduits 26 extend centrally downwardly and Join with the main casing;fl-t t saici caslni; is 7 formed With a substantially cylindrical interior. Anctherobieot is to provide an improved means t .;whioh has an opening "formed in the bottom. so 0! n ti n: by titt- .uss oi b th di t e n.

direct heating. Another obiect isto provide ;.ta; fuel metering: means automatically operated bin conditicnstbrolisht .sboutby the {load on the en-.-

Another obieQtiL-tc; provide improved as means forivsporisinst byi-thesensible heat or. hot.

products .cfqccmbustlon inthe presence ct surev ilelent air-to. maintain ilimitsd controlled ooin-.-.-

-;A conicelwaporizin: chamber I lisgpositioned so .inthecasing ll witha conicel aseat-ll-flound the-larger upper end'engaaing amating seat, formed at the .top of the casing. The bottom I of. thev chamber lilisextended tctformacircular Y Y cover plate tor the bottomof the casing 21, fitt st ting in the opening. II. At the lower endofthe ,t conical vaporizingchan'ibor, anopcnine-tfl is {formed which communicates with an expansion. ,and' residue receivinacharnber. I! secured to the 1 bottom '0! the vaporizing chamber by A ola mpeo barjlll. Said bar, which also holds the vaporisme chamber rom'ov'ably' in position, is heldinpposition-by studs I secured to thecasin'all and v nu flt ed n oh =i e-;.;1 i e n- I w-derstood that thenicints,between the chamber 4 i ll and'thebottorn ofthevaporizing .chamberll and between the. vapcrizingchamber and the casing .21 are constructedto beaes- -tight aealnst theescape of gases.

The two'inner xhaust -ports "communicate b directly through short connections l'| with a flat; annular compartment ll cored into the-t'op'cf {the casing I'|.,.As an outlet forthe gases from said compartment; four coredpassag'es I! in eng larasinents' ""oi' the casina 21, extend around 5 into the side wall of the casing forming communication between the compartment 38 and the annular heating jacket or space 40 formed by the wall of the casing and the conical wall of the chamber 29. The exhaust conduits 26 also communicate with the jacket 40, whereby all of the exhaust gas from all four ports is circulated around the vaporizing chamber 29. As shown in Figure 2, an outlet 4| is formed at the outer side of the casing 21 for the exhaustgases. This outlet and the inlets are so positioned as to obtain maximum and uniform heating of the vaporizing chamber.

To provide an outlet from the vaporizing chamber 29, a pipe 60 is positioned centrally of the top of the chamber extending down 'into the conical chamber a substantial distance. The upper end of said pipe extends through the bottom of the passage l8 into the throat of the venturi l9 for delivering thereto mixture fromthe chamber 29.

A conventional float chamber 42 is utilized to provide a supply of liquid fuel at a constant level, as indicated. In a center cylindrical member 43 of the float chamber a cylindrical fuel adjusting member 44 is threaded to variably cover fuel outlet orifices 45 formed below the liquid level in the member 43. An outlet tube 46 extends up into the hollow'center of the member 44 above the normal liquid level whereby the fuel is delivered therethrough only upon a reduction in pressure therein. The hollow center of the member communicates, through a metered region where there is a minimum of pulsation due to exhaust discharges and with the top of the vaporizing chamber through a bore 54. As

shown in Figure 1, said bore extends downwardly ata small angle with respect to the top of the vaporizing I chamber. bore is arranged near the outside of the large end of the vaporizing" chamber and at a tangent thereto. i

A venturi 55 is positioned in the bore 54 ad jacent'the vaporizing chamber. A fuel inlet tube 56, with its outlet end positioned in the throat of the venturi, is mounted in a member 51 threaded into a bossformed on the extension 52' of the casing. Through a conduit formed in the member 51, communication is provided between the tube55 and a conduit '58 leading to the tube 50 communicating with the fuel supply through the member 49.

In the operation of the device as above described, the engine is preferably started on a good grade of volatile fuel, such as gasoline, which is very easy to forminto a combustible mixture with air, even with a simple carburetor. Assuming that the engine has been operated on gasoline until fully warmed up, the fuelsupply is then shifted over to a lower grade fuel, such as some of the poorer grades of distillate used for furnace oils. This charge-forming device is particularly designed to handle grades of fuel which cannot be handled by conventional carand granular.

vaporizing chamber.

velocity of the gases sweeping over the heated As shown in Figure 2, the.-

' causes a flow ofexhaust gas through theventuri 56. The suction produced in the throat of said venturi is transmitted through the tube 55, the conduit 58, and the tube 49, to the fuel inlet tube 46. As metered by the adjustable orifices 45 and y the air bleed 41, an air-bled jet of fuel is thereing means to take care of pressure changes in the air' intake, such, for example, as variation in the air-cleaner resistance.

In the venturi 56 the air-bled fuel jet is sprayed into the stream of hot exhaust gas. The bore 54, into which the mixture is projected, is as short as possible and is shaped to avoid cooling areas which tend to produce condensation and carbon deposits. The mixture is projected tangentially and downwardly, and takes a spiral path around'the conical wall, heated by the outside jacket 40. The top of the vaporizing chamber is also heated by the annular chamber which receives the exhaust gas from the two outer ports.

A certain amount of residue formed in the chamber 29 drops to the bottom and escapes through the opening 32 into the chamber 33. In actual operation, it has been found that this residue is not produced in any large amount and resembles mostly high temperature coke, being hard With continued operation some carbon deposit is also formed on the wall of the Due, however, to the high walls, there is very little accumulating deposit.

The inert character of the'hot' exhaust gas, the

sensible heat of which is utilized for vaporization,

also accounts for the small amount of fuel cracking and subsequent carbon deposit." As previous- 13 stated, there is a small amount of air admitted in the exhaust gas; Although there is not sufficient air present to maintain a con'tinuedactive combustiomresults and temperaturereadings at different zones in the apparatus indicate that a certain amount of oxidation takes place in the I action results in a more satisfactory vaporizing' action and gives what has been designated as controlled vaporization; g

The chamber 33- also has the important function of inhibiting the pulsations in the exhaust system, thereby stabilizing the pressure in the heating jacket 40 and assuringa more flow of gas through the venturi 56.

The mixture from the vaporization chamber is uniform drawn through the outlet pipe 60, mixed with air her and with the engine exhaust, a Venturi throat in said conduit, a fuel supply, and a metered conduit connecting said fuel supply with the low pressure area in said last mentioned Venturi throat. g

8. A heavy fuel vaporizer and carburetor for internal combustion engines comprising an intake manifold, an inletto said manifold, throttling means, in said inlet, a Venturi throat anterior to said means, an air inlet conduit communicating with said throat, a vaporizing chamber, an outlet conduit from said chamber communicating with the low pressurearea in the Venturi throat, an opening in said chamber, a gas expansion chamber mounted over said opening,'a heating jacket surrounding the vaporizing chamber, means for supplying exhaust gas from the engine to said Jacket, an inlet conduit communicating at one end with the chamber at a tangent thereto, means for supplying exhaust gas to theother end of said conduit, a Venturi throat in said conduit, a fuel supply, a metered conduit connecting said fuel supply with the low pressure area in said last mentioned Venturi throat, and an air bleed communicating with said fuel supply.

9. A heavy fuel vaporizer and carburetor for internal combustion engines comprising an intake manifold, an inlet to said manifold, throttling means in said inlet, a Venturi throat anterior to said means, an air inlet conduit communicating with said throat, a vaporizing chamber, an

outlet conduit from said chamber communicating with the low pressure area in the Venturi throat, an opening in the bottom of said chamber, a gas expansion and residue collecting chamber removably mounted over'said opening, a heating jacket surrounding the vaporizing chamber,

means for supplying exhaust gas fromthe engine EDWARD A. JOHNSTON. HARRY F. BRYAN. HARCLD H. TURNER. 

